Beef Processing
Automation

Cattle supply volatility, labor shortages, and increased operating costs are putting unprecedented pressure on beef processors. When throughput slow or labor gaps disrupt your lines, margins shrink fast. Especially for smaller, regional operations.

Automation isn’t about replacing people. It’s about protecting quality, improving sustainability, and stabilizing operations in an unpredictable market. When it comes to solving today’s problems and planning for growth tomorrow, you need a partner who understands your industry.

RMH Systems is one of the few systems integrators specializing in automation for small to mid-sized beef processors. And we’re the only one who handles your entire project in-house–from design, equipment selection, integration/controls, training, and aftermarket service–and beyond.

Automation helps you unlock consistent throughput, higher yield, and smoother operations, even through labor shortages. Learn more about our capabilities and then request a free consultation with one of our experienced industry experts today!

Request a Free Consultation

Beef Processing Automation

As a private, regional or co-op owned beef harvest plant, you’re committed to sustainability, ethical treatment of cattle and providing quality meat.

When it comes to working more efficiently and planning for future growth, you need a partner who understands your industry.

RMH Systems is one of the few systems integrators specializing in automation for the beef processing industry. And we’re the only one who handles your entire project in-house–from design, equipment selection, integration/controls, training and aftermarket service–and beyond.

Learn more about our capabilities and then request a free consultation with one of our experienced industry experts today!

Request a Free Consultation

Unlock Full-Facility Performance With RMH’s Turnkey Expertise

As herd levels hit a 75-year low and labor shortages persist, beef processors are facing unprecedented strain. To remain competitive today and resilient tomorrow, automated beef processing systems are no longer optional. It’s essential.

Whether you need help creating the right facility design for a greenfield, brownfield, or making the most of existing space, our team of engineers, material handling, packaging, scales, & robotic experts provides a forward-thinking approach with a vision for future growth.

We’ll help you rethink your entire process by showing you just how much automation can improve your entire workflow, including conveyors, inkjet printing, case forming and sealing, and custom rack and storage solutions. These solutions can be customized to fit your current situation and grow with you in the future.

As a trusted partner to multiple regional beef processors, we’d love to talk with you more about how design, equipment, and automation can better position you for success today and in the future. Request a free consultation today with one of our experienced industry experts to get started!

How Automation Helps Beef Processors

  • Stabilizes labor shortages especially for hard-to-fill positions

  • Improves safety by reducing or eliminating heavy lifting, repetitive strain and other injury-prone tasks

  • Increases throughput consistency by maintaining steady line speeds and minimizing slowdowns caused by staffing shortages

  • Provides better yield and sustainability by reducing product damage and better handling variability

  • Enables scalable growth through increased capacity without adding to headcount

  • Reduces rework and downtime by improving accuracy for sorting, packing and material handling

While industry pressure isn’t going away anytime soon, the right automation strategy can help you stay ahead. Download our whitepaper to see how automation helps regional beef processors like you solve today’s challenges and prepare for future growth.

Our Beef Processing Specialties

Whether you’re a co-op or owned by local farmers and ranchers, investor-owned or privately held, RMH is proud to be a trusted systems integration partner for regional beef processing plants across the nation. These are just a few of the areas we specialize in.

Harvesting & Fabrication
Further Processing Lines
Primal Cuts
Ground Beef
Beef Tallow

Automation Solutions for Beef Plants

Automation Offerings

Conveyor in Beef Harvesting Facility

Conveyor Systems

Reduce the need for manual handling and accelerate your workflow with a custom conveyor system, available in standard models as well as FDA-certified, washdown-ready stainless steel food-grade conveyors.

Leibinger JET One

Product Coding & Marking

Automate your product coding and marking processes with continuous inkjet printers and other solutions.

checkweigher

Scales

Offering a full range of custom industrial scale solutions, including high-speed checkweighers, deck scales, bench scales and truck scales. Options for legal for trade certifications or non-legal for trade, depending on your needs.

Case Forming & Sealing

Whether you use breaker boxes, regular slotted containers, two-piece boxes, or trays, we have a solution for case forming and sealing, with glue, tape or straps to hold cases shut.

automated stretch wrapper

Stretch Wrapping

Quickly and efficiently secure palletized loads with automated stretch wrappers. We have a solution to safely secure your loads for storage and transport, including simple semi-automatic wrappers on a dock or a high-speed fully automatic wrappers.

Warehouse Racking

Custom, heavy-duty warehouse racking designed to hold up to abuse in dry, cooler and freezer environments. We specialize in optimizing storage space through roll form and structural selective, drive-in, pushback and pallet flow racking, with less expensive options available for budget-constrained projects.

AS/RS

Efficiently store and retrieve beef products with automated storage and retrieval systems. Whether you need a full pallet of product or a unique mixed pallet, RMH can assist.

robotic case palletizer

Palletizing Robots

Increase productivity, lower operating costs and create a safer work environment with palletizing robots.

K3 Sprinkler Guards

Protect your investment with K3 in-rack sprinkler guards that guard against accidental impact.

Beef Processing Automation Success Stories

RMH is a trusted partner for beef processors of all sizes across the country. Learn more about some of the many automation projects we’ve completed for them.

Sustainable Beef & Schmeeckle Brothers

Ground Beef Greenfield Building Site – North Platte, NE

  • Custom conveyor systems
  • Automated case packing
  • Industrial scale integration
  • Storage rack systems
  • Full controls and automation

Caviness Beef Packers

Amarillo, TX

  • Lines and rack storage
  • Added case formers, case sealers, in-motion scales, controls and integration
  • Start-up and commissioning of existing panels that had been provisioned for this add-on
  • Added new large format breaker box erector
  • Designed heavy-duty galvanized pushback racking and selective racking with drip pans in between levels to prevent lower-level contamination in new cooler
  • Added freezer drive-in drive through rack
  • Added dry storage selective rack and pushback racking

Kuna, ID

  • Added duplicate of existing end-of-line systems
  • Added case formers, case sealers, in-motion scales, controls and integration
  • Start-up and commissioning of existing panels that had been provisioned for this add-on
  • Added new large format breaker box erector
  • Designed heavy-duty galvanized pushback racking and selective racking with drip pans in between levels to prevent lower-level contamination in new cooler
  • Added freezer drive-in drive through rack
  • Added dry storage selective rack and pushback racking

Kuna, ID

  • Designed end-of-line solutions for new ground beef production
  • Added case formers, case sealers, in-motion scales, controls and integration
  • New panel start-up and commissioning

Hereford, TX

  • Redesigned existing conveyor lines that were currently elevated
  • Dropped existing lines to normal pass height to allow for easy operator intervention
  • Conducted mechanical modifications, tear out, and re-install of conveyors for additional accumulation and improved throughput and merge
  • Installed new control panel to clean up existing controls system and interlock with old panel

Hereford, TX

  • Design and added third divert point to existing sorter
  • Installed new conveyor and modified existing conveyors
  • Added sorter and modified existing controls

Hereford, TX

  • Redesigned solution to add two-divert narrow belt sorter
  • Added new automatic ‘L’ Clip tape sealer for new box type
  • Tore out and replaced conveyor sections to improve flow and reduce jams
  • Installed of new gapper and sorter, and modified existing conveyors
  • Added sorter controls and modified existing controls

Kuna, ID

  • Designed case sealer room with improved efficiencies and layout
  • Provided conveyor, “L” Clip Tape Sealers and controls
  • Installed new system
  • Controls, start up and commissioning of new system

Hereford, TX

  • Added Hytrol conveyors and controls

Ryan Pleak, VP of Strategic Accounts

  • Certified Packaging Consultant

  • Certified RPI Leader

Speak with an Expert

The success of your project depends on partnering with a team that truly understands your industry.

When you partner with us, you’re working directly with an expert like Ryan Pleak, who provided hands-on leadership for the beef processing projects highlighted on this page

Questions about an upcoming project? Contact Ryan for clear, straightforward guidance on beef processing automation.

Testimonials

Innovative, Detail-Driven Packaging Solutions with Exceptional Service

“RMH is always up-to-date on new innovative technology as it relates to product handling & packaging. They’ve always provided excellent service, and thoughtful advice. I have found them to be extremely detail-oriented, and they do a great job communicating throughout the lifeline of a project.”

Trevor Caviness – Caviness Beef Packers, Ltd.

Trusted, Reliable Partner

“I can rely on RMH to keep us current and help us on every project.”

Wayne Schmeeckle – Schmeeckle Brothers Construction

When Our Name Is on the Line, We Choose RMH

“When we go to finish a project, whether it be RMH or any vendor, Schmeeckle Brothers has to attach their name to whatever final product we leave in this plant. RMH is one of those products that we are proud to have our Schmeeckle Brothers Construction name on.”

Natalie Pochop – Schmeeckle Brothers Construction

Our Beef Processing Customers

RMH Systems’ customers are located across the country. Here are just a few of the ones we’ve partnered with for constructing new plants and automating processing operations.

FAQs – Beef Processing Automation

Beef processing automation uses equipment, controls, and material handling systems to improve efficiency, safety, and consistency in processing plants. For regional processors, this often focuses on packaging, conveying, checkweighing, case packing, and palletizing rather than full plant automation.

Automation is highly scalable and can be designed specifically for small to mid-sized or regional beef processors. Many plants automate targeted areas—especially packaging and end-of-line operations—without installing large, enterprise-level systems.

Packaging and end-of-line tasks are typically the most practical starting point. Automating case forming, packing, sealing, conveying, weighing, and palletizing can improve safety and throughput without overhauling harvesting or fabrication processes.

In most regional plants, automation is used to support—not replace—employees. It helps reduce physically demanding work, stabilize hard-to-fill positions, and minimize overtime. Many processors use automation to reassign employees to higher-value tasks rather than eliminate roles.

Beef processing automation reduces reliance on difficult-to-staff roles and repetitive manual tasks. It can:

  • Lower overtime
  • Reduce turnover in high-strain positions
  • Improve workplace safety
  • Create more predictable staffing levels

This helps stabilize production in tight labor markets.

Automation is a capital investment, but ROI often extends beyond hourly wages. When evaluating costs, processors should consider overtime, turnover, recruiting, training, and workers’ compensation. Targeted automation projects—especially in high-labor areas—often pay back faster than expected.

Many processors experience measurable improvements within 6–18 months through reduced overtime and improved line balance. Over time, additional gains come from lower turnover, improved throughput, fewer injuries, and reduced product waste.

Yes. Many automation projects involve retrofitting existing lines. Upgrades may include adding automated packing stations, integrating checkweighers, improving conveying, or updating controls. This approach increases capacity while minimizing disruption.

Packaging and end-of-line areas are often injury-prone due to repetitive lifting and twisting. Automation reduces heavy lifting and repetitive motion, which can lower injury risk and workers’ compensation costs while improving employee retention.

No. Automation often improves quality and consistency. Systems such as in-motion weighing and label verification help ensure accurate weights, correct labeling, consistent pack patterns, and reduced product damage.

Automation improves product flow and reduces small inefficiencies that add up over time. By automating conveying, accumulation, weighing, and verification, processors can reduce rework, minimize product damage, and improve yield.

Scalable automation allows processors to start small and expand later. For example, a plant may begin with a semi-automatic palletizer that can later be upgraded to fully automatic, or install conveyors designed to support future inspection systems.

Start by identifying:

  • Hard-to-staff positions
  • Areas with high overtime
  • Bottlenecks limiting throughput
  • Tasks with high injury risk
  • Processes prone to errors or rework

Automation is most effective where labor strain and performance impact are highest.

Yes. When supply is limited, maximizing yield and minimizing waste becomes critical. Automation improves weight accuracy, reduces product damage, and supports consistent throughput—helping processors get more value from every pound.

Regional processors should look for a partner who:

  • Designs right-sized, scalable solutions
  • Understands mid-sized plant operations
  • Provides commissioning and startup support
  • Offers training and ongoing service

Long-term support and industry experience are key to successful implementation.

Related Reading

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